Can



,'Dec. l5, 1942.

H. SEBELL CAN Filed Nov. 15, 1941 ffm .I Ays.

` nvenor: Hurry Sebell byMx//W 3, GS la Patented Dec. 15, 1942 CAN HarrySebell, Newton, Mass., assigner of one-half to Arthur H. Parker, Lexington, Mass.

Application November 15, 1941; Serial No. 419,233

v 1 Claim. (Cl. 2520-54.)

This invention relates to cans and especially to that type of can that .has a removable and replaceable cover or closure member which, when replaced on the can, will have a friction fit therewith.

Cans of this type are now commonly made with the top end in two sections, one of which is in the form of a closure-receiving ring or collar which is permanently secured to the top edgeof the can body and which is provided with a closure-receiving opening through which the contents of the can may be discharged, and the other of which is in the form of a closure plug adapted to t said opening with a friction t.

Cans having this construction are used for packaging a large varietyk of different materials, one of the mostl common uses being for packaging paint, Varnish, lacquer, and other similar materials.

A can having thisA construction yhas the advantage that after it has been opened for the discharge or partial discharge of its contents by prying the plug closure out of the closure-receiving opening, it is possible to close the can again by replacing the closure plug inthe opening, and because of the friction t between the closure plug and the wall of saidopening, a can in which the cover has been replaced will be reasonably tight.

One disadvantage of a can ofl this type isfthat the presence of the closure-receiving ring or collar produces an interior annular shoulder at the upper end of the can which prevents the contents of the can from being entirely drained when the can is emptied.

Sometimes these cans are made so that the closure-receiving ring or collar presents an interior groove immediately surrounding the closurereceiving opening. Such a groove acts as a trap to retain an appreciable amount of the contents of the can when the latter is emptied. Hence, there is always a certain amount of material wasted whenever a can having this construction is discharged ofits contents.

Furthermore, while the friction plug in the closure-receiving opening forms a reasonably tight seal for the can after the can is lled and while the can is in storage or during transportation and before it is opened by the ultimate consumer, yet the friction t between the plug or closure and the walls of the closure-receiving opening does not afford a perfect hermetic seal and if the can is used for packaging paint, for nstance, there may be sufficient air leakage around the closure plug to cause an appreciable oxidation within the can of the oil in the paint.

-t is one of the objects of my invention to provide a can which can be hermetically sealed and which when opened is provided with a friction plug by which the open end of the can may be closed with a friction nt. A further object of the invention is to provide a can of this type which is so constructed that when it is opened, it is free from any appreciable interior shoulder at the open end that will serve to trap, in any way, `any of the liquid contents of the can when the latter is emptied.

In other words, in my improved can, the opening which is produced when the cover is removed is of substantiallythe ful1 diameter of the can.

Further objects of my invention are to provide various improvements in cans of this type which are more fully hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claim.

In the drawing wherein I have illustrated a selected embodiment of the invention,

Fig. l is a side view of a can embodying the invention with the upper portion of the can shown in section.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing the can end removed from the can body after the can shown in Fig. 1 has been opened.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional View showing the upper portion of the can illustrated in Fig. 1 after the latter has been opened.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the cover or can end replaced on the can with a friction t. i

Referring to said Figs. 1 to y4, la indicates the can body and' 3a indicates the can end. This can end is seamed to the upper edgeof the can body by the lock seam 4a'which is formed in usual way by rolling together two mating seaming flanges with which the can end and can body are provided. The can end 3a is also formed with the vertical, circumferential, peripheral wall 5a and with a parallel inner wall 8a, said walls forming between them annular groove 6a. The upper portion of the can body immediately below the lock seam 4a is formed with two parallel, circumferential lines of Weakness 9a and la which form between them a tear strip Ila that can be torn out of the can when the latter is to be opened.

Ma is a reinforcing ring or band by which the portion of the can body immediately below the tear strip Ila is reinforced and stiifened, said lg or band being situated inside of the can This reinforcing ring or band is made from a strip of metal having its upper and lower edges rolled to form the beads 30 and 3l, said beads being formed on the outside of the band Illa thereby providing the band with a cylindrical inner Wall 33. This band is of a size to t within the wall of the can body I and suitable means are provided for anchoring the reinforcing ring in place within the can body. This can be conveniently done by forming the can body with a peripheral or circumferential indentation or bead 32 which is located between the beads 3i) and 3| on the reinforcing ring 14a.

When the can has been opened by removal of the tear strip lla the can body will present the appearance seen in Fig, 3, the reinforcing band being fiush with the top edge of the can body. When the can end is replaced on the can body as shown in Fig. 4, the cylindrical wall 5a fits within and engages the wall 33 of the reinforcing ring Ma with a tight friction t and thereby the can is sealed tightly.

It is intended that the reinforcing ring or band Ilia should be made from a strip of sheet metal and the beads 30, 3l and 32 may be relatively small, it only being necessary that they should have sufficient size to retain the reinforcing ring in its position within the can. It will be understood, of course, that the thickness of the ring and dimensions of the beads are necessarily Vsomewhat exaggerated in the drawing in order to clearly show the inventive idea.

In making the can end, the latter will preferably be provided with a peripheral shoulder 34 having a thickness equal to that of the reinforcing ring Ida so that when the can end is replaced on the can bo'dy, as seen in Fig. 4, said can end will seat on the upper edge of the reinforcing ring.

The upper score line or line of weakness 9a. is preferably made immediately below the lock seam 4a and the lower line of weakness or score line lila is preferably made opposite the bead 30 on the upper edge of the reinforcing ring. With this construction, when the tear strip l la is torn out for the purpose of opening the can, the raw or torn edge at the upper edge of the opened can will be protected by theA bead 30 of the reinforcing ring so that the upper edge of the opened can will present a rounded surface formed by the said bead 33. If desired, some packing material 35 may be employed between the beads 3U and 3l of the reinforcing strip and the bead 32 of the can body.

A can embodying my yinvention not only has all the advantages of cans which are made with the closure-receiving opening and the closure plug to frictionally t said opening, but it has the further advantages that it provides a hermetically sealed can and one which when opened, presents a pouring opening of the full interior diameter of the can. My improved invention has the further advantage that less material is required for making the one-piece end member 3 than would be required in making the two-piece can end member comprising the closure receiving ring and the closure plug to t the closure opening in said ring.

Another advantage inherent in my improved can is that the can cannot be opened without giving evidence of such fact. The opening of the can involves the tearing out of the tear strip Il and after the can has been closed again with the tear strip removed, it has a different appearance from that which it had before it was opened. A casual inspection of the can, therefore, will indicate whether it has been opened.

The cans which are now commonly used for packaging paint and which are provided with a Vclosure-receiving ring in the can end for a closure-receiving opening and a closure plug to t said opening, can be opened by prying off the closure member, some of the contents can be removed, and then the can can be closed again by replacing the closure member without showing any evidence of the can having been opened. It is possible, therefore, with the type of can above-referred to, for an unauthorized person to abstract a portion of the contents of the can and afterwards seal the can and then sell the can to the consumer as a full can. This cannot happen in the case of my improved can.

I claim:

A can comprising a can body, a one-piece can end secured to the upper edge of the can body by a lock seam land formed with a cylindrical, circumferential wall, said canl body being provided with two spaced circumferential lines of weakness immediately below the lock seam, which lines of weakness form between them a tear strip that can be torn out of the can body when the can is to be opened, and a reinforcing band situated within the can body and having its upper edge registering with the lower line of weakness, said band presenting a lcylindrical inner wall and having on its exterior a bead at both the top and bottom edge, the wall of the can body being indented circumferentially to form an interior circumferential bead which is situated between and engages both beads of the reinforcing band, thereby to retain the latter in place, the inner cylindrical wall of the vband being adapted to receive the cylindrical, circumferential wall of the can end with a friction fit when said can end is replaced on the can body after the can has once been opened.

HARRY SEBELL. 

